Surprise: The Closet

Ponch was getting ready for work, his face was sore from all the scrubbing last night to get the sharpie off his face. He was a little upset with Bear still but tried to hide it.

Bear was ready to work the same time as Ponch and wanted to chat before they left.

He walked over while he finished buttoning up his uniform shirt. "Hey, uh Ponch?" He started with his normal conversation before work.

"Sorry can't," Ponch said, grabbing his motorcycle helmet off the counter and leaving quickly.

"Can't what I never asked anything yet!?" Bear called after him.

Grossie walked up behind Bear and placed a hand on his shoulder. "He already knew you wanted to ask about lunch you always do and have been since we moved in here. He must not feel like eating with us today."

Bear sighed. "I shouldn't have played that prank last night. You know he still did his homework but closed and locked the door?"

"Yeah…" Grossie sighed and walked past Bear.

Jeb ran up the stairs quickly waving a paper. "It's finished!" He said, a smile spreading across his face. "Where's Ponch!?"

"He just left."

"Ok, I'll just talk to him at briefing." Jeb was still excited and he headed out the door.

oOoOo

Ponch and Jon sat in the briefing room talking back and forth about random things. "I can't believe he did that! It's making me second guess my choice to stay in the same house with him. I mean, if he's gonna be like this…"

"Hey, do I need to remind you who started the whole playing pranks on each other at your house?" Jon said with a grin.

Ponch made a face. "That's different! Me and Jeb's pranks are perfectly harmless!'

"oh I'm sure they are, and I don't believe Bear and Grossie injured you in anyway."

Ponch sighed and made a face again.

"I guess I should get over it... Maybe."

Jon was quiet for a moment.

Getraer came in moments later as a bunch of other officers started filing into the room. Still chatting about whatever they'd been discussing when they were in the hall.

"We really do need a mother-like figure here, I mean Getraer is our fatherly figure…" Grossie said.

"Does it matter?" Jon commented from the back. "We have our real parents we don't need fake ones just for work."

Ponch was starting to agree with him about that. Grossie smiled and winked at Ponch. "I got it! But I won't say anything till after briefing."

Ponch and Jon exchanged glances. "I'm not sure how I feel about this," Ponch muttered.

Getraer looked at the officers in the room and shook his head. "You guys I'll never understand some of these things," he muttered, then got on with briefing.

oOoOo

Jon had to leave to use the bathroom right after briefing. Ponch waited for him, but he waited near the area all of the others were discussing their topic still. He wanted to see who had been given the title as 'mom'

"So, first of all when I think mom, I think someone that's soft, caring, might bend the dad's rules a bit sometimes to help her child or make them happy…"

"They can be hard on you too when they want to," Bear cut in.

"Why is everyone looking at me!?" Ponch asked.

"You care about us and freak out when we are injured... Even the new guys you care about them too! You can be hard on us or just let things blow by and you always bend rules so you're not afraid to cover for us bending rules sometimes... Depending on what it is and how you feel that day... You remind me of my mom sometimes," Jeb said.

"Oh?" Ponch asked a little weirded out. "Why can't you choose like Bonnie or something. She's motherly and female."

"She's not as nice as you are," one officer said with a laugh.

" I just think you want me to feel uncomfortable," Ponch muttered.

Bear smiled and shook his head.

Ponch left the room not sure what to be thinking about this..He was beginning to agree with Jon that they didn't need a mom figure in the CHP it's not like they ever called Getraer dad and went to him with problems like they would their real father so why should they need another person not to do anything with..It was just another useless title.

Only a real mother should have the privilege of getting the title of 'Mom' and Ponch wasn't and would never be a real mother.

Ponch walked out to his motorcycle, Jon was sitting waiting for Ponch on his.

"So, what did they decide?"

"You don't want to know," Ponch said as he put on his helmet and strapped the chin strap securely. He started his motorcycle and started to leave.

Jon followed him.

"So, Jon did you hear Getraer thinks I'm a bad influence on everyone making them late each day...But did you notice how I was there before everyone else? How can he still say that!?"

"Because maybe in some ways it's true. Some of those people look up to you, Ponch. You can get away with stupid things and coming in late and only get yelled at... They get worse sometimes."

"You saying Sarge goes easy on me? Cuz there's no way in the world I'd believe that!"

Jon laughed. "It might be true though, Ponch."

Ponch shrugged and sighed. "Anyway…" Ponch stopped in the middle of what he was saying. "Crap!"

"What?"

"I forgot I was supposed to get a homework assignment in to the teacher before lunch today. You think Getraer will let me do it at Central?"

"On lunch break maybe."

Ponch sighed. "Let's try to find something to do that requires you filing out a report so I can go back and do homework."

"Ponch... What makes you so sure I'm going to write the report?"

"Because you wouldn't let your buddy get bad grades for late homework assignments," Ponch tried with a smile.

Jon laughed slightly. "Alright, sure thing buddy."

oOoOo

Ponch and Jon pulled over three speeders, and handled one car accident that morning. So when they got to the CHP building Jon had enough reports to fill out and Ponch was going to send in his homework. He had to send it through E-mail to the teacher.

After finishing it and sending it he shut off his laptop and went to put it back in his locker. "I'll be right back, Jon," he said before disappearing.

Jon just nodded slightly.

Ponch went to the locker room and put his laptop away, then he started on his way back for the report room. He saw a coffee spill on the floor so he figured he might as well clean it up before Getraer found it. He headed for the broom closet.

He opened the door and looked inside and couldn't see what he was looking for.. Ponch made a face. "It's gotta be in here…" he then saw a towel and spray on the top shelf.

"Oh great…" Ponch tried to reach it, but him being short he was a few inches away from getting the top shelf. He looked both ways out of the closet to make sure no one was around then he decided to climb the shelf to get to the towel and spray. As soon as he got on the shelf he started to regret the idea. What if it broke? It made this creaking noise whenever he moved. He quickly grabbed what he needed and hopped down just in time to see the door slam shut.

"No!" Ponch tried to open it from the inside but something was messed up with the lock and because it was so dark he couldn't see to fix it. He was locked inside!

oOoOo

Jon finished all of the reports an hour later. It was lengthy for each one of them and people had been coming in and out to talk to him. "Where's Ponch?" He wondered as he stretched.

"Baker, I need to see you and Poncherello," Getraer said.

Jon nodded he figured he'd just text Ponch and tell him to come to Getraer's office instead of looking for him. As soon as the text sent out though Jon heard a phone make a noise that sounded like roadrunner from Looney Tunes. He looked over and saw Ponch's phone sitting there.

"Dang it!"

Jon went to Getraer's office. "Um I don't know where Ponch is, but I'll go find him." Worry began to set I. Hadn't Ponch only left to put his laptop away? With Ponchs luck anything could've happened! He could be injured or kidnapped or in serious trouble. Jon found himself thinking the worst.

oOoOo

Ponch was shaking the door handle and banging on the closet door. "Someone please get me outta here!"

Out in the hall no one heard a thing, because no one was walking by.

When Jon walked by it was silent because Ponch was angry muttering things under his breath. "I could just break the door down...But then I'd have to pay for it and Getraer would be ticked…" he told himself. " I can text or call for help!" He reached in his pocket for his phone. Panic began to set in when he couldn't find it. "Crap, crap, crap...I left it in the briefing room.. Jon's probably looking for me and doesn't know where to look. I never should have wanted to clean up that mess!" Ponch took a deep breath to calm down and let it out. "I'm going to be trapped here all day" he told himself.

oOoOo

Jon had searched every inch of Central the one place he hadn't gone was that closet. Why would Ponch be in there anyway? Jon went to Getraer. "Something seriously wrong must've happened to him."

"Or he's in an obvious spot we just don't notice…"

"Sarge, wasn't there a guy out there kidnapping people? What if he found Ponch?"

"Jon, I think you're letting emotions take over your thinking. Why would a kidnapper come to the CHP to kidnap a cop in front of other cops?"

Jon shook his head trying to relax he was just worried about Ponch a d trying to rule out every possible thing that could happen.

"Sarge!" Jeb called from down the hall.

"What?"

"Someone is in the broom closet."

Getraer and Jon exchanged glances. "Ponch!" They both said then took off that way.

When they got there Jon found it was locked.

"Well we could remove the door handle?"

"Or pick the lock," Jeb said.

"Whichever is quicker do that. I've been in here since lunch!" Ponch said.

Jon laughed. "Let's pick the lock."

oOoOo

When Ponch got out he smiled. "Thanks guys, you have no idea how happy I am to get out of there.'

"Just what were you doing in there in the first place?" Getraer asked.

Ponch smiled slightly and stared at his feet. "It's a long story."

A/n: I hope you enjoyed this. :-) And the whole mom thing was something me and Anerrorhasoccuredloadinglife made up together a while ago I thought I'd introduce it. Be watching it'll be used more next story. :'D I apologize for weirdness in my series but in all honesty that's something I do specifically for the person I'm writing for since that's what they like. Anyway keep an eye out for the next part.